Risky Foods to Stay Away From with Gout

Gout is one type of joint inflammation that can be quite painful and debilitating when it is triggered. The problem with this disorder is that, once it attacks, it is hard for us to move the inflamed joint. Unfortunately, the number of individuals who have gout is rising and it is currently the most common inflammatory arthritis in the United States. The good news is that there are ways in which you can prevent gout from flaring up and one of them is to know which foods to avoid as much as possible.

If you have gout, then these foods should be eliminated from your diet.

Alcohol

One of the foods that you should eliminate from your diet is alcohol as it increases your risk from gout. Too much consumption of alcoholic beverages can actually put you at high risk from this disease compared those who don’t drink regularly. It appears that beer is the worst because of the purine it contains which can cause uric acid to be produced.

Offal or organ meats

Organ meats or more commonly referred to as offal should be removed from your diet as they, by far, contain high amounts of purine which can cause gout flare ups. Too much purine can trigger uric acid protection which can cause the joints to become inflamed. By removing them in your diet, you will feel relief from gout attacks so you will be able to function properly.

Chicken, beef, as well as other meats

Since we have established that purines can be a likely culprit to gout attacks, you will need to avoid them as much as possible. Unfortunately, if you are going to look at our diet, you will find that chicken, beef, and some types of seafood have high amounts of purine in them that can lead to gout attacks when consumed in large amounts. If you can’t avoid meat, choose the best cuts as much as possible and make sure that you stay away from organ meat.

Diuretics and aspirins

Certain medications can also trigger gout attacks such as in the case of aspirins and diuretics. Even taking low dose aspirins for a short period of time can actually increase your risk of gout symptoms. Diuretics are recommended to be avoided if you have gout.

High sugar fruits

You should also reduce your intake of fruits that are high in sugar content because they can only make your gout worse. Although most fruits are low in fructose, there are some that have high sugar content just like in the case of watermelon and medjool dates. It is believed that eating these fruits can cause your gout to flare up.

These are just a few examples of foods that have been found to be harmful to those who have gout as they can trigger inflammation in the joints. As much as possible, reduce or avoid eating them if you want to alleviate your gout woes.